Back in the day of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, Esquire magazine was known as a magazine for men who smoked pipes and favored bespoke tweed. Today, Esquire has become a new and intriguing player in television with the Esquire Network, reflecting the diversity of interests, lifestyle and incomes of the 21st century male.

Nowhere is that branding more evident than in the new show "How I Rock It," hosted by former NBA player Baron Davis and premiering Wednesday night.

If you think a show on "men's style" is all about clothes, you'd be wrong by a mile. "Rock It" is a show about men's style in the way a modern man, especially a modern youngish man, defines style.

Wednesday's premiere episode, for example, introduces us to actor Jason Lee, but instead of learning about where he buys his ripped and faded jeans, we learn about his passion for vintage motorcycles. A former professional skateboarder whose dad raced motocross, Lee hangs with the Venice Vintage Motorcycle Club and talks about how much a prized vintage bike is going for on eBay.

Jim James of the band My Morning Jacket, who favors black suits, white shirts and black ties, doesn't really think that much about style. "My name is Jim James and I don't know what that means," he jokes.

But the black-and-white look came from his love of the Smurfs when he was a kid, he confesses. He liked the fact that one of the Smurfettes had nothing but several white dresses in her closet, each one exactly the same as the others. The uniformity appealed to James.

"I've always wanted to be a cartoon," he cracks, adding that children's programming also influenced his career choice: He was turned on to music by the "Muppet Show."

"I grew up wanting to be an adult," he says. "I couldn't wait to not be a kid anymore."

Then there's tattoo artist Mister Cartoon, who is passionate about restoring and designing lowriders. The artistry of the process appeals to him, but he also feels strongly that lowriders are a point of Chicano pride.

"When you see a lowrider going down the street, it's a mirror of that person's personality," he says.

Another profile subject is designer Waraire Boswell, who is tall enough to be one of the basketball players who have become his clients. Back in the day, pro basketball players weren't known for style, but after the infamous 2004 on-court brawl between the Pacers and the Pistons, known as Malice at the Palace, the NBA put its size 17 foot down about player decorum. That included how they dress. Instead of sweats and track suits, players would wear jackets and ties to all games and on charters.

All of a sudden, 6-foot-7-inch guys found themselves having to buy new suits. It's one thing to go to a big and tall shop, but soon enough, many of these guys - like Davis - got hooked by style.

One of them, L.A. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, is a Boswell client. We see him consulting on the fabric and look for his suit, and later trying it on.

Davis is a perfect host for the show, not just because he has the appealing qualities of a TV host, but also because his own style is unmistakable and defined.

Style in the 21st century isn't just about what a man wears, but what interests him and who he is. Whether they're selling meatballs, photographing naked models for their magazine, or building lowriders, every man rocks it in his own way. We're hooked by the show not because of what the dudes wear, but by what they do and who they are.